Generative AI tools have been receiving a lot of attention lately because they can create content like text, images, and music. These tools employ machine learning algorithms that can produce unique and sometimes unexpected results. Generative AI has opened up exciting possibilities in different fields, such as language models like GPT and image generators.
However, students need to approach these tools with awareness and responsibility. Here are some key points to consider:
Information Hallucinations and Summarization Accuracy: Generative AI tools are known to hallucinate citations and may not represent summaries of information with the accuracy that is required of many research tasks. There are some AI tools focused on drawing from trusted sources but be aware that it is up to you to understand the scope of what it's searching and verify any information you find.
Novelty and Creativity: Generative AI tools can produce content that is both innovative and unexpected. They allow users to explore new ideas, generate unique artworks, and even compose original music. This novelty is one of their most exciting aspects. It also means that generative AI content is not reproducible.
Ethical Considerations: While generative AI offers creative potential, it also raises ethical questions. Students should be aware of potential biases, unintended consequences, and the impact of their generated content. Responsible use involves considering the broader implications.
Academic Integrity: When using generative AI tools for academic purposes, students should consult their instructors. Policies regarding the use of AI-generated content may vary across departments and institutions. Always seek guidance to ensure compliance with academic integrity standards.
In summary, generative AI tools are powerful and fascinating, but students should approach them thoughtfully, seek guidance, and adhere to institutional policies. Please refer to the Duke Community Standard for questions related to ethical AI use.
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Did you know that as Duke faculty, staff, and students, we have free access to ChatGPT4 via Microsoft Copilot?
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What is it?
The OG of generative AI tools, ChatGPT-4 is the latest iteration of the popular chatbot, answering questions and generating text that sounds like it was written by a human. While not a replacement for conducting research, it can be helpful when it comes to brainstorming topics or research questions and also as a writing tool (rewriting or paraphrasing content, assessing tone, etc.).
Best suited for...
All users across all disciplines.
Considerations
For ChatGPT-4 (access provided by Duke and requires login) » copilot.microsoft.com «
For ChatGPT-3.5 (free) » chat.openai.com «
What is it?
Think of Consensus as ChatGPT for research! Consensus is "an AI-powered search engine designed to take in research questions, find relevant insights within research papers, and synthesize the results using the power of large language models" (Consensus.app). Consensus runs its language model over its entire body of scientific literature (which is sourced from Semantic Scholar) and extracts the “key takeaway” from every paper.
Best suited for...
The social sciences and sciences (non-theoretical disciplines).
Considerations
» consensus.app «
What is it?
Elicit is a tool that semi-automates time-intensive research processes, such as summarizing papers, extracting data, and synthesizing information. Elicit pulls academic literature from Semantic Scholar, an academic search engine that also uses machine learning to summarize information.
Best suited for...
Empirical research (i.g., the sciences, especially biomedicine).
Considerations
» elicit.com «
What is it?
Dubbed the "AI-powered Swiss Army Knife for information discovery," Perplexity is used for answering questions (including basic facts, a function that many other AI tools are not adept at doing), exploring topics in depth utilizing Microsoft's Copilot, organizing your research into a library, and interacting with your data (including asking questions about your files).
Best suited for...
Perplexity has wide-reaching applications and could be useful across disciplines.
Considerations
» perplexity.ai «
What is it?
Research Rabbit is a literature mapping tool that takes one paper and performs backward- and forward citation searching in addition to recommending "similar work." It scans the Web for publicly available content to build its "database" of work.
Best suited for...
Disciplines whose literature is primarily published in academic journals.
Considerations
